YouTube: Volkswagen Super Bowl Commercial

I honestly don't really see the point of this ad.

Originally Posted by JediTricks

I honestly don't really see the point of this ad.

none of us do - I think that's the point. Gotta tune in tomorrow.

Just watched it, kinda cute but mostly "meh."

Originally Posted by XmasDVD

none of us do - I think that's the point. Gotta tune in tomorrow.

I did, and it really was the same exact commercial, didn't say anything at all. It seems to spend a lot of time trying to play up this concept, but says nothing about the car nor about the Dark Side nor anything. And now everybody's talking about it because it uses SW iconography in a cute way, but there's nothing said IMO.

Originally Posted by JediTricks

I honestly don't really see the point of this ad.

You, sir, are a soulless Doombot.

A Doombot, say I!

Originally Posted by El Chuxter

You, sir, are a soulless Doombot.

A Doombot, say I!

Ok mister smartypants, what did this ad say about the car, that it has keyless remote starting? Big deal, Volkswagen is hardly the first on the block with that! That's like advertising "McDonalds, now selling COFFEE!"

Not that I'm defending the practice, but since when have Super Bowl ads been required to tell anything about the product?

People are talking about the commercial, and not in a bad way, so it worked.

And McDonald's, I think, has actually had commercials saying they now sell coffee.

Originally Posted by El Chuxter

Not that I'm defending the practice, but since when have Super Bowl ads been required to tell anything about the product?

People are talking about the commercial, and not in a bad way, so it worked.

And McDonald's, I think, has actually had commercials saying they now sell coffee.

Pretty thin, Chux. You call me out claiming I'm a soulless minion of Doom, and then back it up with "well, it's just marketing".

Also, McDonalds has ads for regular coffee, but they don't play it up like it's some big new feature they just came up with. This VW ad at best is saying their car has remote starting like it's something novel, which it is not. They may as well be having the kid roll the windows up with the Force by having the dad press the electric window button in the door.

It's cute. They meant it to stick in heads and get people talking, not delineate the features of the car.

Your initial post seemed to indicate you didn't see any redeeming qualities in it whatsoever. Not thinking this is a fun commercial would indicate a degree of Doombottiness.

From an advertising perspective, this ad has no purpose that I can determine, beyond trading on Star Wars iconography. The kid runs around in a Vader costume trying to use the Dark Side and fails because he's just a kid in a costume. The dad comes home in his new boringmobile and the kid rushes to use the Force on the car, which doesn't do anything because he's just a kid in a costume. The dad then uses the keyless remote starting to make the kid think he's finally used the Force, which startles the kid. The mother gives a disapproving gesture. In that ad, the car is not memorable, its singular feature is not unique or special in any fashion, and nothing in the ad ties into the new lower pricing on the car. So what is the point of the ad, beyond using recognizable Star Wars elements to hook people into paying attention? Where is the narrative value that sells the vehicle or pays off for the Star Wars aspect? From what I can tell, there is none. But it is cloying and it uses famous ideas from someone else's work, so it is talked-about.